Cahuita & Puerta Viejo - We started off with 6 days on the caribbean coast chilling out. Total rasta afro-caribbean vibe in these parts with great food/cooking! We hiked and snorkled in the nearby National Park and saw Howler Monkeys, Blue Crabs, Lizards, Birds and a Pit Viper snake. We both really liked it over on the east coast. Here we had what is perhaps the best pineapple we have ever had. Our Rasta guide pulls out a machete and sliced it right on the bow of our little snorkel boat - YUM!

La Fortuna & Monteverde - Next, we went to the northern part of Costa Rica to the cloud forests. We hiked in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and saw more wildlife while hiking through dense jungle. There were waterfalls, a suspension bridge over the tree canopy and we even stood atop the continental divide

. After crossing Laguna Arenal we enjoyed the hot springs of Fortuna and then witnessed lava flowing from Volcan Arenal itself! Not the firework display you see in the postcards but enough lava to keep us in awe for an hour - thanks to our cabina owner Mr. Lava Lava.

Tamarindo & Samara - After a day in Tamarindo (we hated this place!) we spent our last 2 weeks on Samara Beach surfing everyday. We got a smoking deal, for $100 we got 4 surf lessons and 2 weeks of unlimited rentals. Well the first 10 days we basically got killed out there. We couldn't believe how tough it was learning to surf. We both suffered a ton of minor injuries and were continuously getting rolled by big waves. The last 2 - 3 days somthing clicked and we both 'got it' and were now surfing!!! Of course we still weren't good enough to go out with all the Ticos at high tide catching 9 foot waves - but we were surfing 3 footers during the "Gringo Window". Samara rocked. Our cabina was right on the beach, and every morning we woke up, had fresh tropical fruit, ran on the beach, and then hit the surf. In between we would chill out with Chica, a cute little beach puppy that we couldn't shake the whole time we were here. Of all of the places we have been on our trip, this was one of the best. The locals were great and the scenery was beautiful. We also were able to meet quite a few other travellers - the two weeks flew by.

Living right on the beach for our last 2 weeks and surfing everyday was the perfect end to an amazing trip! We have really enjoyed sharing our pictures and experiences with you and are thankful that so many people followed along the journey.

We will be back in Boulder Colorado around June 15th - let the house/job hunting begin!